Guantanamo prisoners on way to Ireland

Ireland is on the verge of resettling two Uzbek prisoners from Guantanamo.

An official Irish delegation will go to the Guantánamo Bay detention centre next week to interview the detainees.

One of the two is understood to be Oybek Jamoldinivich Jabbarov (31).

Amnesty International has lobbied the Government for the past 12 months to accept Mr Jabbarov.

He has been scheduled for release but is unable to go back to Uzbekistan for fear of torture and persecution.

Mr Jabbarov had been living as a refugee in northern Afghanistan with his elderly mother and pregnant wife when he was captured in 2001

Boston lawyer Michael Mone told a congressional hearing in 2008 that Jabbarov had never
been involved in fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance and was probably handed over for a reward.

Ireland has said it will accept detainees in a bid to help close the controversial facility.

“The Government is continuing to liaise with US authorities regarding fulfilling our undertaking to help close the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay,” a spokesman for the Department of Justice said.

"We’re very pleased to see the Government taking concrete action on its commitment to take two of these men,” said Colm O’Gorman, director of Amnesty International’s Irish branch.